infoTECH News

Linksys®
today announced that it has started shipping the new WRT1900AC,
which will be available for sale at Best Buy stores throughout the US or
at the Linksys (News - Alert).com store. The new WRT features four external antennas
for optimal wireless coverage throughout the home and has been certified
for the new 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard. The new wireless standard delivers
best-in-class performance and includes intelligent technologies such as
beamforming to further improve the wireless signal range. The design of
the new Linksys
WRT1900AC Dual Band Wi-Fi Router is inspired by the iconic WRT54G
that was introduced 11 years ago. The new WRT has been equipped with
powerful hardware such as a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, 128MB flash
memory, eSATA and USB ports. The new WRT ships with Linksys Smart Wi-Fi
setup and management tools, and Linksys has also been collaborating with
OpenWrt to make sure that an open source alternative is available in the
coming weeks.

"The WRT is a cornerstone in the history of Wi-Fi and synonymous for
many people with going wireless at home since it was their first
wireless router. Since the introduction of the original WRT, we have
sold more than 50 million units worldwide and are still selling it very
successfully even with wireless technology advancing rapidly," said Mike
Chen, vice president product management for Linksys. "The WRT has a cult
status for many because of the open source aspect that made it so
immensely popular. We are honored to have collaborated with OpenWRT to
ensure the open source readiness of the product and building a
WRT-worthy successor with cutting-edge hardware and iconic design."

OpenWRT Ready

Over the past months Linksys and the OpenWrt
project have been collaborating to ensure open source readiness and
continued development for the new WRT.

"The history of OpenWrt goes back more than a decade when it all began
with a project to hack and modify the Linksys WRT54G. A lot has changed
since then," said Gregers Petersen, relationship manager at OpenWrt.
"Today OpenWrt is a complete embedded Linux distribution that enables
users to be innovative and create new solutions and functins. Other key
elements of OpenWrt are source code transparency, security and extensive
package repositories. We see it as a very positive development to have
collaborated directly with the Linksys engineering team on the new
WRT1900AC router. As a result of that consumers will have the freedom of
choice between the Linksys default firmware and OpenWrt. The OpenWrt
developers recognize the potential of the collaboration with Linksys,
and the opportunities it brings for more devices and solutions."

New Features

Additional features have been added to the new WRT in the development
process after the initial announcement at CES (News - Alert). Next to the extremely
powerful router functionality, the new WRT now can be configured as a
range extender or wireless bridge. Software features have also been
added including support for the No-IP dynamic DNS service. Linksys is
also planning to add Wi-Fi Scheduling and an OpenVPN-based VPN server to
the WRT in a future firmware update to enable users to establish a
secure remote connection to the router from anywhere in the world.

Better Range Through Antenna Diversity

Like other 802.11ac routers, data is transmitted to wireless clients by
the WRT using three spatial streams. Unlike other 802.11ac routers the
new WRT is equipped with four adjustable and removable antennas. The
router automatically selects and utilizes the best three out of the four
antennas to transmit and receive data to connected devices, depending on
their location in the home. This antenna diversity technology helps
provide greater range and coverage compared to more traditional
three-antenna devices, so all connected devices can achieve the best
performance wherever they are located.

Linksys Smart Wi-Fi

Linksys
Smart Wi-Fi is a setup and management software tool that gives users
access to their connected devices from a browser or mobile app so they
can easily manage their home network. Users can access their home
network from anywhere from a browser on a PC or app on their iOS or
Android (News - Alert) smartphone or tablet to check the connection status of their
devices, provide guest access to visitors or prevent kids from accessing
social networks.

With the launch of the new WRT, Linksys has added a new Smart Wi-Fi tool
called Network Map in the browser interface of Linksys Smart Wi-Fi.
Network Map is a visual representation of the home network displaying
the router and its connected devices. The tool enables users to see what
devices are using the most bandwidth, how strong the signal is to a
device or to which wireless band it is connected. Network Map provides a
more intuitive and graphical approach to monitor and manage a home
network.

Linksys Smart Wi-Fi can be accessed from a browser or the Linksys
Smart Wi-Fi app for iOS and Android

Share printers or storage devices through USB or eSATA

Built-in DLNA-certified media server and FTP server to share files

Drag-and-drop media prioritization to prioritize bandwidth for
devices, applications or games

Parental controls to prevent access to websites or block access during
certain hours

Dynamic DNS services supported: No-IP, DynDNS and TZO

Built-in speed test to test broadband upload and download speed

Open source ready

Pricing and Availability

The new Linksys WRT1900AC Dual Band Wireless-AC Router will be available
starting April 13, 2014, at Best Buy stores and at the Linksys.com
store at an MSRP of $279.99.

About Linksys

The Linksys brand has pioneered�wireless connectivity since its
inception in 1988 with its leading innovation and engineering
strategies, and best-in-class technology, design, and customer
service.�Linksys enables a connected lifestyle for people at home, at
work and on the move, and with its award-winning products, simplifies
home control, entertainment, security and Internet access through
innovative features and a growing application and partner ecosystem. For
more information, visit linksys.com,
like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter
or watch us on YouTube.

*The maximum performance for wireless is derived from IEEE (News - Alert) Standard
802.11 specifications. Actual performance can vary, and might result in
lower wireless network capacity, data throughput rate, range and
coverage. Performance depends on many factors, conditions and variables,
including distance from the access point, volume of network traffic,
environment building materials and construction, operating system used,
mix of wireless products used, interference and other adverse
conditions. To achieve maximum performance, routers must be paired with
coordinating adapters/and or computers in both the 2.4 and 5.0 GHz band
such that the maximum performance can be maximized for each GHz band.

BELKIN, LINKSYS and many product names and logos are trademarks of
Belkin International. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property
of their respective owners.

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